Meant to be
by cora80
Summary: Set during "Fool me once". Damon got trapped in the tomb and Bonnie starts to have dreams about saving him. To her dismay there is a bond between herself and the vampire that can't be destroyed. Bamon!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries.

Summary: Set during "Fool me once". Damon got trapped in the tomb and Bonnie starts to have dreams about saving him. To her dismay there is a bond between herself and the vampire that can't be destroyed. Bamon!

Author's notes: Hope you like it -and don't forget to hit the review button ;-)

* * *

Bonnie tightened her grip on her Grandmother's hands when she felt herself getting weaker and her powers fading. She knew that they wouldn't be able to sustain the spell that had opened the tomb and broken the seal to let the vampires out much longer. But her friends Elena and Stefan were still in there, only the vampire girl Anna and her mother had already left the tomb. Finally she could hear footsteps and Elena and the Salvatore brothers appeared in the entrance of the tomb. However while Elena and Stefan stepped out Damon suddenly paused and stepped back. He had a blank look on his face.

"Damon, what are you doing? You have to come out." Elena pleaded and reached out for him.

But Damon looked at her with desperation and hurt written all over his face and made another step back. He didn't show any kind of reaction and simply stared off into space when the stone that had been blocking the entrance of the tomb moved back into its place.

"No! Please, you have to open it again!" Elena said and grasped Bonnie's arm.

"We are too weak to cast another spell. Besides even if I could I wouldn't open the tomb again." Sheila answered.

"We can't just leave him in there. Not like this." Elena said.

"He made that decision by himself. And I can't think of a better place to lock up someone as evil as him." Sheila replied.

"She is right, it was his choice to stay behind." Stefan said.

"He had just found out that the woman he loves had betrayed him. Right now he is hurt and confused but he is surely not capable of realizing the consequences of his action." Elena replied aghast by the fact that her boyfriend was ready to give up on his older brother so easily. No matter what Damon had done in the past no one deserved to suffer like he would for the next days until he would finally pass out due to the lack of blood.

"Did you already forget that our only reason to help him getting Katherine back was the prospect of getting rid of him? He is no longer a threat for this town and for us. He is never going to kill anybody again." Stefan insisted.

One glance at Bonnie told Elena that she agreed with her Grandmother and Stefan. But that wasn't much of a surprise to her since Damon had tried to kill not so long ago.

"But he did all that because he is still in love with Katherine. That means he still feels something." she said in another attempt to try to change her friend's minds.

"Damon is dangerous and unpredictable when it comes to Katherine. Believe me, it's better that he is locked up for now." Stefan assured her.

Elena was still not convinced but eventually realized that she couldn't do anything at the moment. They left the tomb and the wood in silence and whereas Bonnie went home with her Grandmother Elena accompanied Stefan to the boarding house after they had brought Jeremy home and made sure that he was okay. While Stefan was gone to pay Anna and her mother Pearl a quick visit Elena tried to get comfortable and to find some distraction but her mind always wandered back to Damon. She was glad when Stefan finally returned and told her that Anna and Pearl had promised to leave. At least they didn't have to deal with another vampire in Mystic Falls.

* * *

When Stefan woke up the next morning he was glad that it was Saturday and he didn't have to deal with school. He turned around and found the other side of the bed where Elena had been lying when he had fallen asleep empty. Listening closely he could hear her downstairs in the living room. As soon as he realized that she was crying he got up and hurried down using his vampire speed.

"Did something happen? Is it because of Damon?" he asked when he approached his girlfriend.

"I've just talked to Bonnie. Her Grandmother died last night." Elena sobbed.

Stefan sighed and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Bonnie said that she was really tired and weak after casting that spell and shortly after she fell asleep yesterday evening she suddenly stopped breathing and her heart stopped beating." Elena stammered while crying into his chest.

He hated it to see his girlfriend so shaken up and didn't want to think about how Bonnie felt right now. Again he found himself wishing that Damon hadn't returned to Mystic Falls.

* * *

Ever since her Grandmother had died Bonnie didn't sleep very well but the dreams that haunted her started not until the night after the funeral. At first there were only images of Damon that she saw. He looked broken and hurt and his dull blue eyes stared at her. But over the course of the week the dreams became more and more intense. She could see how Damon was suffering in the tomb due to the bloodthirst that he wasn't able to appease. Sometimes she could even feel the pain that he was going through and lately she could also hear a voice telling her to save him. Bonnie was frightened but also angry that she was dreaming to save the vampire that was responsible for her Grandmother's death. She hoped to find a spell to get those dreams under control in one of her Grandmother's books but she couldn't. Ten days since the incident in the tomb had passed and aside from the day of the funeral she hadn't seen Elena or Stefan. At first she had blamed the two of them as well but eventually realized that she had overreacted. Nevertheless she avoided them for a couple of days and spent most of the time at school with Caroline because she simply needed some distraction. But when she started to hear the voice that was urging her to help Damon even when she wasn't sleeping she finally brought herself to talk to them.

She waited for them at Stefan's car after school and was relieved when she spotted a smile on Elena's face when the couple approached her.

"Are you feeling better?" Elena asked.

"I think I'm coping with the fact that Grams isn't here anymore. But there's something else. I have to talk to you about Damon."

"Please don't mention the D-word." Elena replied rolling her eyes.

"We found out that he had killed her birthmother Isobel." Stefan explained when he saw the questioning look on the young witches face.

"I'm really sorry to hear that, but it's important." Bonnie insisted.

When Elena heard the pressing undertone in her friend's voice she also noticed the dark rings under her eyes and immediately knew that something was wrong.

"What is it, Bonnie?" she asked.

Bonnie told them everything about the dreams that she had, the images that she saw and the voice that she heard.

"I don't understand this. Why should I save him? I hate him, it's his fault that Grams died. Sometimes I can even feel the pain that he is feeling, physical and emotional. What does that mean?"

"You still have Emily's grimoir, don't you? Maybe we can find an answer and a way to end those dreams there." Stefan suggested.

"It's still at my Grandmother's. I can get it and meet you later at the boarding house." Bonnie said.

Together they studied Emily's grimoir and finally found what they were looking for. They read the chapter a couple of times to make sure that they didn't misunderstand it but there was no doubt about it. According to Emily's notes Damon was meant to protect Mystic Falls against Katherine and the other vampires in the tomb and apparently the most powerful witch of the Bennett family that was living at that time the tomb would be opened was supposed to fight together with him. Once the tomb was opened a bond between the witch and the vampire would be created that none of them would be able to ignore and that couldn't be destroyed.

"Since he agreed to protect her descendants she obviously believed that the good side of him would still be strong enough to outweigh all the hate and anger. Looks like she knew him better than I did." Stefan said.

"Maybe she was wrong. I can't believe that she did that. How am I supposed to work together with Damon? Besides he decided to stay in the tomb, he probably doesn't even want to be saved. And I'm not strong enough to open the tomb alone." Bonnie replied doubtfully.

"I'm pretty sure you're strong enough now. Emily always knew what she was doing and i guess she is the only one who knew how strong Katherine is. Obviously it takes more than just a vampire to defeat her. Though I have no idea how Damon is going to react when we get him out, but we have to do it. It's the only way to stop those dreams that you're having. And we also know that Katherine is out there and we're going to need him in case the town and the people here needs indeed to be protected." Stefan assured her.

Elena agreed with her boyfriend and squeezed Bonnie's hand in order to reassure her best friend.

"Okay, let me practice some magic for the next days and on Friday we're going to try it." Bonnie eventually said.

Elena and Stefan agreed and nodded.

* * *

On Thursday evening Bonnie was pleased with herself and the fact that all the spells that she had cast had worked but she was also anxious and nervous when she thought about the following day. The night was awful. As soon as she closed her eyes she saw Damon and the vampire looked more shattered and broken than ever. She slept three hours at most and felt so tired in the morning that she was almost eager to get Damon out of the tomb just to get a good night's sleep again. Since her father had left for a business trip she decided to skip school and texted Elena that she would meet them around six at the boarding house. Sundown would be around seven and they wanted to start shortly afterwards.

When Bonnie parked her car in front of the Salvatore mansion she was still nervous but also confident. The most important thing was to get Damon out of the tomb and then Stefan would deal with his brother for the time being. The younger Salvatore opened the door before she had even knocked and greeted her with a smile. Just like her he was nervous, because he didn't know how Damon would react to his probably unwanted rescue and the information that they had gathered from Emily's notes.

"Do you know in what condition he is right now?" Bonnie asked.

"He couldn't feed for quite some time now, so he's probably unconscious. I have some bloodbags for him, but I will give it to him not until we're home. I'm going to have a better control over him here. We still need to be careful, he is strong and I'm not sure what happens if he can sense you and Elena and the human blood." Stefan explained.

The two girls nodded and eventually it was time to leave. When they arrived the tomb everything looked still the same way as it did the last time they had been there. Trying to ignore these unpleasant memories Bonnie grabbed the grimoir and climbed out of the car.

"Okay, let's do this." she murmured.

When she was done with the preparations she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started to chant. Elena and Stefan looked expectantly at the entrance of the tomb and finally the stone moved so that Stefan could enter. Bonnie continued to chant in order to keep the seal open and was too determined to hold up the the spell to be aware of anything that was happening around her. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. It was Elena.

"It's okay Bonnie, you can stop now." she said.

Right behind her best friend Bonnie spotted Stefan who had carried his brother out of the tomb and while she was looking at Damon's limp body in Stefan's arms the tomb closed again.

"Is he really going to recover?" Bonnie asked doubtfully.

Damon's skin was ashen, his once beautiful face was marked by pain and his cheekbones were standing out. He was unconscious just as Stefan had assumed and Elena was looking at him with the same expression of compassion on her face like Bonnie.

"Don't worry, he only needs some blood." Stefan replied but the pitiful appearance of his older brother seemed to affect him as well.

They walked quietly back to the car where Stefan put Damon's body in the backseat and climbed in next to him. During the car ride he glanced occasionally at Damon and remembered when he had locked him up in the cellar to let him starve. Back then he couldn't hardly await the day he would find him unconscious but now with the result of a starvation diet like that sitting right next to him he felt the slightest pang of conscience. He only hoped that they would be able to deal with Damon's mental state.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Thanks to all the readers, especially to those who reviewed and/ or added this story to their favorite's/ alerts!

Happy reading!

* * *

When they arrived the boarding house Stefan carried Damon inside followed by Elena and Bonnie. He laid him on the couch in the living room that faced the fireplace and watched him pensively for a couple of seconds.

"I'm going to give him just enough blood that he wakes up. I have to make sure that I'm still stronger than him." he explained.

"What are we going to do, if he doesn't accept the blood?" Bonnie asked.

"Trust me, he will. The hunger is going to control him as soon as he tastes the blood. He won't be able to resist."

While Stefan went to the kitchen to get the blood Elena approached her best friend and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze since she could tell that Bonnie was nervous and anxious. The younger vampire returned with a bloodbag in his hands and went over to the couch. He put a pillow under Damon's head to make it easier for him to swallow the red liquid and sat down on the edge of the couch.

"Okay Damon, let's get it done." he murmured and took a deep yet unnecessary breath.

He carefully put the small tube of the bag between Damon's lips and squeezed it slightly to let the blood flow into his mouth. Just as Stefan had predicted Damon started to drink the blood as his mind was simply too weak to decide otherwise and resist it. When Damon began to suck on the tube and drank more eagerly Stefan pulled the bloodbag back. After a moment Damon blinked and eventually opened his eyes to find his brother and the two girls staring at him.

"You've got to be kidding me." he muttered and slowly sat up.

That simple move took a lot out of him so that he leaned against the backrest to regain some strength.

"How do you feel?" Elena hesitantly asked.

"I'm starving and my dearest brother is holding an open bloodbag in his hands that I can't reach. How do you think I feel?"

"Sorry, but right now I can't give you more. I can't take the risk of you being stronger than me." Stefan replied.

"You could give me more if there was something stronger than squirrels and rabbits on your menu. And why did you give me anything at all? Is that some kind of a sick game or did you just miss me?"

Stefan didn't waste any more time and told his brother forthrightly about Bonnie's dreams and what they had found in Emily's notes. After Stefan had finished he also showed him the respective chapter of Emily's grimoire. The three of them looked expectantly at Damon.

"Come on guys, it isn't really out of the ordinary that a girl fantasizes about me. This is ridiculous, just bring me back to the tomb, stake me or whatever. I'm really not in the right mood for something like this."

"You are ridiculous, Damon. Why do you want to be the one to suffer for something that Katherine did? You probably need some time to let all those news sink in but stop torturing yourself." Elena pleaded.

"Listen, I'm tired, and since St Stefan doesn't want to give me any blood, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." Damon eventually announced.

He stood up but collapsed even before he had reached the door.

"Here, let me help you." Stefan said and held out his hand.

"I don't want your help, just give me some blood." Damon spat out and struggled to sit up.

"You should give him a bit more. He's not going to do anything stupid for now." Bonnie suddenly said.

She didn't know why, but somehow she could feel that he wouldn't snap. And it surely would be better to oblige him by giving him the chance to feed properly than making him angry by refusing to let him drink the blood. Damon was surprised that the young witch actually took sides with him and eyed her suspiciously. Stefan sighed but finally handed Damon the bloodbag that he had opened earlier. Damon took it trying to cover that his hand was trembling.

"It isn't very polite to watch other people while they eat, you know." Damon said when he noticed the others staring at him while he was drinking the blood.

After he had emptied the bloodbag he slowly stood up and went upstairs. A moment later Stefan could hear the shower being turned on.

"You two should go home now and get some rest. I'm going to deal with him tomorrow and then I'll give you a call." Stefan told them.

Bonnie and Elena nodded and left the boarding house. Stefan went upstairs again and knocked on the door of Damon's room. There was no response but nevertheless he entered the room. He found Damon lying in his bed and fast asleep. Biting his lower lip he hoped that they had done the right thing. Somehow he was glad that his older brother was back, the last weeks that he had spent alone in the boarding house had been really quiet.

* * *

On Saturday Stefan awoke by the ringing of his cellphone. He groaned and looked at the display.

"Bonnie, what's up, is everything okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but I woke up with the feeling that something is wrong with Damon. At first it was only like a feeling of unease but now it has turned into a headache. I know it sounds stupid, but could you please check on him." Bonnie explained.

Stefan promised her to do so and got up. He entered Damon's room without even knocking on the door. The double wing door that lead to the balcony was wide open so that almost the entire room was flooded with sunlight. He found Damon sitting on the floor leaning back against the only wall that wasn't illuminated by the sunbeams.

"Leave me alone." Damon said monotonously.

Stefan froze when he noticed that Damon didn't wear his ring but toyed with the piece of jewelry and eventually laid it on the floor right next him. Using his vampire speed he shut the doors and drew the curtains.

"Do I have to worry about you being in a suicidal mood?" Stefan asked his brother and sat down on the floor as well.

He sat cross-legged face to face with Damon and studied his features. Damon hadn't drank any more blood than the content of the one bag the night before. He was still skin and bones and much too pale even for a vampire.

"Isn't that what you want? Me being ultimately dead."

"I've never wanted you to die. I've locked you up in the cellar with the intention to re-awake you hoping that you would have changed. I can't take it that you hurt and kill innocent people but you are still my brother."

"Come on, you only got me out of the tomb because you think that you might need me to fight against the evil vampires. Isn't it somewhat ironic? An evil vampire who fights other evil vampires." Damon snorted.

"As much as you are claiming this, you're not really evil, Damon. You did all those evil things out of love. And now you are hurt, that means that you are still able to feel anything at all. And if Emily put all her faith into you, I'm willing to do that, too. And I'm also going to help you."

"Go away, I don't want your help."

"I'm not going to leave you alone as long as you are suicidal."

Damon sighed, put the ring back on his finger and stood up. Stefan noticed that he had to use the wall for support and to keep him from collapsing. He had never seen his brother so devastated and he was also sure that Damon was much too shattered to leave the house and attack innocent people. Without any hesitation he took Damon's left arm and slung it over his shoulder and dragged him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Damon asked.

He was too weak to fight against Stefan.

"Downstairs to the kitchen, it's time for breakfast. But please promise me, that you're going to stick to feeding on bloodbags." Stefan replied.

In the kitchen he lowered Damon on to one of the stools and went over to the fridge to get another bloodbag that he emptied in a glass. Damon eyed the glass but didn't make any attempt to drink something.

"I can't believe it, yesterday you wanted the blood but I didn't want to give you anything. Today I'm offering you the blood and you don't want to drink it." Stefan said shaking his head.

"I'm going to shove a tube down your throat to feed you if it's necessary." he added.

"You would really do that, wouldn't you?" Damon replied but finally took the glass and drank the blood.

After he had emptied it his skin color was almost back to normal and his movements seemed to be less strained.

"And now? Are you going to play babysitter and watch me constantly?"

"No, that won't be necessary since Bonnie is able to sense it when you are about to do something stupid." Stefan answered.

Damon looked at him and rolled his eyes.

"Great, I hope she is going to feel my hangover as well." he said, went over to the bar, grabbed a bottle of scotch and a glass and went back into his room where he spent the rest of the day.

* * *

It was Sunday morning when Stefan called Elena and Bonnie. The young witch had told him that she would like to come over and talk to Damon herself and Stefan agreed. She already knew that Damon was still unstable but also that he was slowly getting better.

"Come in. He's upstairs in his room." Stefan said and smiled at her when he opened the front door only seconds after she had rung the bell.

Stefan showed her the way and promised to stay in human earshot of Damon's room. Bonnie nodded and eventually knocked on the door of Damon's room.

"Who is daring to bother me?"

Bonnie didn't want to let him intimidate her and opened the door.

The vampire was lounging in an armchair that was standing nearby the window. In his right hand he held a glass but instead of blood it was filled with alcohol.

"What do you want?" he asked without looking at her.

"We need to talk." Bonnie answered and walked towards the window and around the armchair to face him.

"I thought you hate me."

"I do hate you. My Grandmother died in the aftermath of casting the spell that opened the tomb for you. I'm just telling you that to let you know that there's another reason for me to hate you. But I do love this town and I care about the people who live here. I would do anything to protect them even if that means that I have to team up with you." Bonnie told him seriously.

The look of surprise on Damon's face when she mentioned her Grandmother's death didn't go unnoticed by her but didn't prevent her from continuing.

"Elena told me that you really loved Katherine. And even if you deny it, that proves that you are still able to care about more than just yourself. I don't know how and if your feelings towards Katherine have changed now that you know that she has been lying to you. But I do know that Emily must have done all that for a reason. She knew that Katherine and the other vampires would be an immense threat for this town. That's why she let me destroy the crystal. And that's why we're linked. Just do me one favor and consider your responsibilities."

With that Bonnie left his room and the boarding house.

"Great, yesterday it was Stefan who annoyed me with his speeches, today it's the little witch. I guess tomorrow it's going to be Elena's turn." Damon mumbled and took another sip of his drink.

* * *

The next day when Damon woke up he decided to leave Mystic Falls in order to look for Katherine. Down in the tomb he had spent a lot of time with thinking about the female vampire before he had passed out. After the first wave of desperation and disappointment had hit him he had also felt the anger inside of him arise. The last clear thoughts that he was able to give to Katherine were full of hate and thirst for revenge. And technically it wouldn't matter if he would kill her in order to take his revenge on her or to comply Emily's spell and protect the town. It would be like killing two birds with one stone. But he didn't intend to sit around and wait for her to make an appearance as he didn't know for how long he had to twiddle his thumbs. So he threw a bag into the trunk of his car and got into the driver's seat. When he turned the ignition key and put the pedal to the metal he could feel a headache forming.

"What the hell." he murmured.

He kept driving although the pain steadily increased. However when he reached the city limits of Mystic Falls the throbbing pain inside of his head had become so intense that he had to stop his car. And suddenly it dawned on him. He turned the car around and drove back and the closer he got to the town the fewer was his head hurting. Again he stopped the car and started another attempt to leave the town, but it ended with the same result as the first one.

"Damn witch." he yelled and hit the stirring wheel.

"Okay Emily, you want me to protect the town, I will do it. But I seriously hope there is some kind of a reward waiting for us." Damon mumbled after the anger had subsided.

* * *

When Bonnie came home after school was finally over she was utterly surprised by the sight of Damon Salvatore sitting on the steps of her porch.

"What do you want?" she asked still feeling uncomfortable in his presence.

Damon told her outright what had happened during his try to leave the town and that he had finally accepted the fact that he was supposed to do good by protecting Mystic Falls and its residents. Bonnie had a hard time to hide her astonishment and sat down next to him.

"This bond is going to break once we succeeded, isn't it?" Damon inquired.

"Yes, don't worry. You will be able to leave again."

"No offense, but I hope we don't have to wait too long."

"None taken. I guess this is the first time that I actually agree with you."

"I'm sorry that your Grandmother died." Damon suddenly said.

Bonnie was not only surprised by the statement but also by the honest sound in his voice.

"And what are we going to do now? Just sitting around and waiting for what's going to happen?" Damon quickly added in order to cover the fact that he had been nice to her.

"We could do some research and go through Emily's grimoire and notes once more, maybe we will find something else." Bonnie suggested.

"Okay, but let's do this without Stefan and Elena, I can't take being around the love-birds right now." Damon replied.

"So I take it that we can't meet at the boarding house. But you do understand that I won't invite you in my house."

"Yes, I do. But it's still warm outside, we could stay on the porch. Or we could meet at a more public place if you are more comfortable with that." Damon said.

Bonnie was surprised that the vampire actually considered her well-being. Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad. Either way they had to protect the town and the people she cared about.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes:

So great to know that some of you guys actually like what I write, thank you so much! Either way, let me know what you think!

* * *

When Bonnie agreed to Damon's suggestion to do their research on the porch, the vampire sped back to the boarding house where the grimoire was still lying on the table in the living room and was already back before Bonnie had had the time to make some coffee. She spotted him through the kitchen window and couldn't help herself but to watch him for a moment. He had definitely sounded honest earlier and his facial expression had been determined. Taking a deep breath she stepped out on the porch again.

After almost two hours of leafing through the old grimoire Damon finally closed the book.

"I don't think that we're going to find anything else in there. Looks like we have to stick to plan A." he stated.

"Plan A?"

"Just wait and see."

"Is there really nothing else that we could do?" Bonnie asked frustrated.

"You should go through your Grandmother's notes and look for any spell that can harm a vampire. And you have to learn and practice them." Damon replied.

"But how will I know whether I cast them correctly or not?"

"Since we don't have a vampire dummy I could kidnap Stefan." Damon joked what earned him a glare.

"Just kidding. You can try them on me. But only those that won't cause any permanent damage." he told her seriously.

"What?" he asked when he noticed her astonishment.

"I just wonder whether you trust me all of a sudden or simply don't care if anything would happen to you."

"Bonnie, we have to make sure that you can handle the magic. And since you've made it very clear how much this town means to you, yes, I trust you that you wouldn't mess around with me." Damon declared.

"You're right, I wouldn't do that."

"Good. By the way, have I missed anything important while I was down in the tomb?"

"Depends on what you consider as important. Vicky's body has been found, but as far as I know there hasn't been any further investigations. There was the Founder's ball where Caroline became our new Miss Mystic Falls. Elena's Uncle John Gilbert is back in town and seems to be involved with the council. Oh, and you should better avoid Alaric Saltzman." Bonnie answered.

"Alaric Saltzman? Sounds familiar."

"I think you've met him at the school dance."

"Yeah the history teacher, I remember. And why am I supposed to avoid him?" Damon asked confused.

"Isobel Saltzman? Duke University? Does it ring a bell? You killed his wife who happened to be Elena's birthmother." the young witch explained.

"But I didn't kill her. Well, technically I did, but she came to me and begged me to turn her. And I did it." Damon replied trying to come to terms with the fact that Isobel was Elena's mother.

"Wow, I certainly didn't expect that." Bonnie said

"I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"You could say that. Don't you feel the least bit guilty?"

"No!" Damon answered way too quickly.

But when Bonnie looked into his eyes she could see that he was lying. And he was not only lying to her but lying to himself as well.

"Okay, I guess I better go home now." Damon eventually anounced.

"Wait, aren't you going to help me to find those spells?" Bonnie asked.

"Wow, I had no idea that you are so fond of being in my company." Damon smirked.

"The magic is your part, I think I should better have a rest in order to prepare me and for the big fight." he added when Bonnie rolled with her eyes.

"And I bet there's going to be at least one glass of scotch involved." Bonnie murmured.

"Hey, I heard that." Damon grinned and left.

In the evening Damon sat indeed with a glass of scotch in his hands in front of the fireplace. Stefan was at Elena's and he was glad that he was alone now. When he had returned home from Bonnie's he had met a worried but also angry Stefan at the boarding house. But he could calm his brother as he told him what had happened and what Bonnie and him were planning. And finally he could also convince him that everything was okay and that he could leave to visit Elena. But he had barely drank from his favorite scotch when he suddenly felt it. Something was wrong with Bonnie, she was in danger.

"This connection sucks." he mumbled annoyed but found himself actually being worried about the young witch.

He stormed out of the house and ran straight into the woods. Somehow he knew exactly where he had to go. And then he found her. She was standing next to her car and was hassled by a man, a vampire to be exact. And his face looked familiar to Damon.

"Frederick." he murmured.

He wasted no time and approached them.

"Leave her alone." he shouted at the other vampire.

"Damon Salvatore! I've never liked you, but I would share the witch with you." Frederick suggested.

"I don't share anything with anyone. The little witch belongs to me, so leave her alone." Damon replied and stepped protectively in front of Bonnie in order to shield her.

Bonnie looked at him relieved and could barely resist the urge to hide behind his back and hold onto his arm.

"Are you threatening me?" Frederick asked incredulously.

"For someone who was rotting for 145 years in a tomb you're really quick-thinking. I thought you would be retarded or something." Damon replied.

That was enough for Frederick, he growled and lunged at Damon who had assumed that his comment would push the other vampire over the edge. In a fraction of a second the two vampires became a blur to Bonnie's eyes so that she couldn't tell who was gaining the upper hand. They kept throwing each other against the trees and the impacts caused the earth to quake. Suddenly they stopped and Bonnie spotted them lying on the ground. Both of them were bleeding but it was Damon from whose abdomen a branch was protruding. Nevertheless he tried to follow Frederick when said vampire got up and bolted.

"Damon, please don't go." Bonnie shouted.

The vampire turned around and looked at her. Bonnie was clearly shaken and in no condition to be left alone, so that he let Frederick escape and walked back to Bonnie. It was only then when he became aware of the branch that had been thrust into his flesh. He swiftly pulled it out but fell down on his knees shortly afterward. Bonnie gasped and hurried over to him. She carefully unbuttoned his shirt and revealed a profusely bleeding wound.

"That doesn't look good." she said.

"Wow that's not the normal reaction that I get when a girl undresses me. " Damon grinned.

"Are you going to be okay?" Bonnie asked ignoring his comment.

"Yes, just give me a minute." he answered.

"Thank you." Bonnie said softly.

"You're welcome."

"How did you find me?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Somehow I felt that something was wrong and I just knew where to go. Must have to do with the bond as well." he explained.

"So you recognized this vampire?"

"Yes, he was down in the tomb. And the fact that he made it out probably means that the others are on the loose as well. I'm going to check that tomorrow. But now I drive you home."

With that he got up and buttoned up his shirt.

"You don't have to do that." Bonnie said but Damon insisted on driving her home and opened the passenger door for her.

When they arrived Bonnie's house he walked her to the door, where she stopped and thanked him again.

"Be careful, I don't want to deal with all those vampires alone. And the next time I'm enjoying a glass of scotch I would like to do that without ruffle or excitement." Damon joked.

Bonnie smiled at him and entered the house.

* * *

Two days later that Bonnie had mostly spent with going through her Grandmother's books after school the young witch stood in front of the boarding house and was trying for almost five minutes to bring herself to ring the doorbell. She was almost about to back down and leave the Salvatore property when the door was suddenly opened.

"You know, there's this great invention called doorbell." Damon stated and looked expectantly at her.

"I wanted to ask you if you could do me a favor." Bonnie nervously said.

"Shoot."

"The wedding of my Cousin is coming up this weekend, but it is going to take place outside of Mystic Falls."

"And as you won't be able to leave the town without me, you want me to stick around and hide in the shadows?"

"That was my first thought, yes. But I'm allowed to bring a friend along and if you would really agree to come with me I thought I should at least invite you to the party as well. Knowing my Cousin there will surely be a well stocked bar and a lot of delicious food. And I'm not talking about the guests."

Her last comment caused the vampire to laugh and eventually he agreed and promised to pick her up on Saturday.

* * *

The rest of the week passed quickly and uneventful. At first Bonnie's Dad had only reluctantly agreed that his daughter would drive with a guy that he didn't even know. But as she had assured him that he was only a friend and also the older brother of Elena's boyfriend he was finally convinced.

"Is there anything I need to know about your family?" Damon asked curiously during their car drive to Bonnie's family.

"We have to avoid my Aunt Martha and my other Cousin Sabrina. I bet, if you would look up the word annoying in the dictionary you would find a picture of them."

"Sabrina?"

"She's not a witch." Bonnie laughed knowing exactly what he was implying.

According to my Grandmother I'm the only one now." she added.

After the wedding ceremony at the church they had to drive another five miles where a large room had been organized for the celebration. The hall was festive decorated and provided enough space for a band, a dance floor, a buffet and tables.

"You were definitely right about the alcohol and the food." Damon stated when he spotted the buffet and the bar.

Bonnie was about to reply but paused when she heard a familiar voice.

"Bonnie, you have to introduce me to this handsome young man. I didn't know that you have a boyfriend." a female voice suddenly said.

"Damn, Martha found us." Bonnie muttered and turned around to face her Aunt.

"Well, he's not..." she started but was interrupted by Damon.

"I'm Damon Salvatore, it's nice to meet you." he said politely and extended his hand to her.

Martha was delighted by Damon's smile and his charming way to talk to her and Bonnie already feared that she would never leave. But they were lucky as Martha spotted another member of the Bennett family that she hadn't seen in a long time and excused herself.

"Okay, that wasn't that bad. I think she likes me." Damon said.

"One down, one to go. Sabrina is coming." Bonnie replied.

"So, you are Bonnie's boyfriend?" Sabrina asked bluntly and laid her hand on Damon's forearm.

She didn't even tried to hide the fact that she was attracted by him and the seductive undertone in her voice was more than obvious.

"Yes, I am." Damon answered quickly before Bonnie could.

The young witch looked slightly shocked at him but waited until Sabrina had left.

"Why did you say that?"

"She was ready to jump at me and she's definitely not my type. Did you smell that awful perfume? She probably would have stalked me for the rest of the day, that thought alone gives me the creeps. And since I'm not allowed to kill or compel anyone that was the only way to ditch her." Damon defended himself.

"She really scared you, didn't she?" Bonnie laughed.

"Like hell." Damon admitted but laughed as well.

"You know that she's envying you now, don't you? We should do this right and make her really jealous." he added.

"Making her jealous?" Bonnie asked sceptically.

"Would you like to dance?" Damon asked in response and held out his hand.

Bonnie hesitated for a moment but eventually took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. The band was playing a waltz and as soon as they started to sway over the dance floor Bonnie had to admit that Damon was the perfect man to dance with. She looked into his sparkling blue eyes and was completely oblivious to the world around her not even noticing the jealous glares of Sabrina. She couldn't believe that she actually enjoyed to dance with Damon Salvatore, the evil vampire that she hated so much. But if she was completely honest with herself, she didn't hate him anymore. Ever since they had gotten him out of the tomb he had changed. He had even saved her life and was willing to go up against his former love Katherine to protect Mystic Falls.

When the music eventually stopped they paused for a moment and looked into each others eyes. Bonnie was almost disappointed that that dance was already over and Damon looked like he had enjoyed it, too. Neither of them knew what to say, but they were saved by a loud voice.

"Girls, get ready to catch the bridal bouquet!" someone shouted.

"Come on, catch it for me." Damon grinned and nudged her.

"No way, you have no idea how much I hate this folkway." Bonnie groaned.

"Sabrina is over there, so you are supposed to act like my girlfriend. And that's what girlfriends do for their boyfriends." he added.

"You are going to pay for this." she said and glared at him but walked over to the other women.

She stayed in the very back of the crowd but neither her nor the other women had expected that the bride would throw the bouquet so far. Bonnie only had to held out her hands where the bouquet landed safe and sound. The look on her face was priceless and Damon had a hard time not to burst into laughter. When the other women started to cheer Bonnie blushed and walked back to Damon.

"Just to clarify it once more, I hate you." Bonnie said through gritted teeth but smiled as they were watched by the other guests.

"Yes, sure you do." Damon replied and smirked.

Bonnie slapped his forearm and couldn't believe how playfully they acted. But she liked it and even hoped that they would keep that up after they had fulfilled their mission.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's notes: Thank you so much for reading and especially for reviewing and/ or adding this story to your favorite's!

Happy reading!

* * *

It was already late at night when Bonnie and Damon were finally on their way back home. Bonnie watched the vampire quietly out of the corner of her eye while he was driving the car and was still amazed at how much fun she had had with him at the wedding.

"I think I need to explain a lot to my father tomorrow. After Martha has talked to him he was watching us, especially you." Bonnie said.

"Yes, or we skip the whole explanations and make it official. We're going to spent a lot of time together anyway." Damon joked.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and reached out for her purse.

"Elena tried to call me a couple of times." Bonnie announced when she pulled out her cellphone.

Damon was immediately alarmed and looked at his own phone.

"Three missed calls." he said.

"You told them, where we went, right?" Bonnie asked while dialing her best friend's number.

"Are you kidding me? I could lose my bad reputation by letting anyone know that I actually did you a favor today. I told Stefan that we would meet in order to practice and to do some research."

"You're going to lose your reputation anyway since you're going to save and protect the town. So you better get used to being a good guy." Bonnie told him seriously.

"Damn it, Elena isn't answering her phone." she added worried.

Damon was still a little bit overwhelmed by her comment about him being a good guy but eventually had to admit to himself that she was right. However he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not.

When he finally pulled up at the driveway of Bonnie's house they spotted Elena and Stefan sitting on the steps of the porch.

"Finally, we've already tried to call you." Elena stated and got up.

"I thought you were practicing." Stefan said and eyed his brother and Bonnie suspiciously.

"We were." Damon replied.

"That's why you're all dressed up?" Stefan asked back.

"Well, there is this one spell that requires that the witch and the vampire are dressed up or it won't work." Damon said.

"And did it work?" Stefan inquired seriously having decided to play along.

"Yeah, but we decided to do without that spell since there's probably going to be only the ghost of a chance that those vampires are going to wear suits and ties." Damon replied smoothly.

"Let's talk about it later. What happened?" Bonnie eventually asked.

"First off, we met Frederick at the Grill where he addressed Elena as Katherine. I didn't see him, but according to Elena's description it had to be him. But what I did see were four other vampires that had been locked up in the tomb." Stefan told them.

"And what else?" Damon inquired.

"Alaric Saltzman called us. Isobel showed up and asked him to arrange a meeting with me." Elena said looking at Damon.

Ever since she had learned that her mother had approached the older Salvatore to ask him to turn her her anger toward him had subsided. Alaric knew the truth about that fateful night now, too, but he was still having a hard time to accept that he hadn't be able to make his wife happy. After Elena and Stefan had told him about Bonnie's and Damon's roles in the whole matter he had eventually dismissed his intention to kill Damon and even offered his help.

"Great, another vampire in town." Damon muttered.

"You don't have to meet her, you don't owe her anything. She was the one who left." he added.

"There is no choice, she threatened to go on a killing spree in Mystic Falls." Elena replied.

"Okay, let that history teacher arrange a meeting but we're going to stay nearby. And Bonnie and me are going to practice some magic and fighting tactics tomorrow." Damon suggested and the others agreed with him.

* * *

When Bonnie showed up at the boarding house the next day she wasn't nervous anymore. Not even when she found out that she would be alone with Damon as Stefan and Elena were meeting Alaric Saltzman.

"Okay, let's start." Damon said when they entered the living room.

"Do you want me to tell you about the spells before I try them?"

"No, surprise me." he grinned.

Bonnie just nodded and put her books on the table. She took a deep breath and eventually focused on the vampire. Damon looked expectantly at her but nothing happened.

"What exactly are you trying? Staring me to death?" he teased her.

But all of a sudden he felt an immense invisible force and found himself flying through the air until he crashed into a wall and slid down to the floor. Bonnie gasped and immediately hurried over to him.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"Yes, but that was the whole plan, wasn't it? Wow, that was great." he exclaimed.

Bonnie laughed about his enthusiasm and helped him to stand up.

"Okay, try another one."

"This is really going to hurt, if it's works." Bonnie warned him.

"You have to be a lot more confident. Don't say if. You're a Bennett, you're powerful, it will work." Damon assured her and reached out to give her hand a squeeze.

Bonnie was really touched by the fact that Damon was encouraging her in this way and felt instantly stronger. Again she focused on Damon and the next moment he was holding his head and moaned in pain. Bonnie stopped when she felt him getting weaker and looked dumbfounded at him.

"What?" Damon asked when he noticed her glances after he had recovered.

"I'm just wondering what else Emily's spell has up its sleeve for us. I could feel that you were getting weaker."

"Honestly, I'm not surprised anymore. I wouldn't even be surprised if we could suddenly read each others minds."

"The mere thought of that scares me. And I don't know what's more frightening, the thought of you invading my mind or the thought of being able to read yours." Bonnie replied dryly.

"Ouch, that really hurt my feelings." Damon said with feigned hurt.

"You're lying, I would have felt that." Bonnie replied grinning whereupon Damon chuckled.

They continued the practice for quite some time until both of them were exhausted and needed a break.

When Bonnie woke up she was still tired but also disoriented. Scanning the surroundings she realized that she was still in the Salvatore mansion and that she was lying on the couch next to the fireplace. She remembered that Damon and her had decided to take a break during which she must have fallen asleep. The blanket that covered her hadn't been there before and she had to smile at the thought that Damon had tucked her in. Sitting up she spotted the vampire in question lying fast asleep on the other couch. He was lying on his stomach with his head resting on his right forearm whereas his other arm was dangling over the edge of the couch. Bonnie couldn't help herself but to notice the peaceful expression on his face. Usually his features were hardened probably in order not to show any feelings, but now he looked relaxed and simply beautiful. By now the young witch was completely convinced that there was still a lot of good inside of him and also that his good side was taking over. And in spite of everything that had happened in the past she found herself liking the good Damon. She startled when he stirred but he didn't wake up. Assuming that he must be really worn out because of all the spells that she had cast on him she walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Damon, I'm going home now." she whispered into his ear.

The vampire slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Okay, just give me a minute." he replied bleary and attempted to turn around and sit up.

"No, go back to sleep." she said with her hand still resting on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't go alone." Damon objected and eventually sat up.

They were still in the living room when the front door opened and Elena and Stefan entered the house returning from their meeting with the history teacher.

"Hey, how did it go?" Bonnie asked when the couple appeared in the doorway.

"Mr Saltzman called Isobel and she agreed to a meeting at the Grill on Tuesday." Elena told them.

Bonnie and Damon nodded and updated them about the status of their training.

"I need to go hunting." Stefan stated and was satisfied about their progress.

"Are you staying?" he asked his girlfriend.

Elena nodded and looked at Bonnie. "What about you? I think a girl-talk is long overdue."

"I guess you're right, but I'm really tired and Damon was about to take me home." Bonnie answered.

"Tomorrow, I promise." she added and hugged her best friend.

Bonnie, Damon and Stefan left the house together but whereas Bonnie and Damon headed for the car, Stefan ran straight into the woods. They had been driving only for a couple of minutes when Damon suddenly stopped the car so abruptly that the tires squealed.

"Are you still up for some magic?" he asked Bonnie.

The young witch nodded but was frightened. The undertone that she had detected in Damon's voice told her, that he wasn't talking about another training session. Within the fraction of a second he stood at the passenger's door, opened it and picked her up.

"Hold on tight, we need to hurry." he said and sped into the woods.

Although she knew that he would never let her fall she leeched on to him with her arms around his neck and her face buried into his chest. She didn't dare to look up until Damon stopped and put her down. When she turned around she spotted Stefan lying on the ground and Frederick and six other vampires were standing around him.

"Leave him alone." Damon growled.

"Oh look, the other Salvatore and the Bennett witch. Seems to be our lucky day." Frederick exclaimed.

"If you consider your day of death as lucky day, you're right." Damon sneered and glanced at his younger brother who was still out cold.

"Let's see, we are seven vampires versus one vampire and a human. It's definitely not your lucky day." Frederick replied.

Damon looked at Bonnie who nodded and lunged at Frederick. While he was fighting with Frederick and two other vampire at the same time, Bonnie managed to bring the other four down by causing them some agonizing headaches. She tried to use that power against a fifth vampire but found herself being too weak to do so. By now Damon was still fighting with Frederick but had already killed the other two vampires. He stabbed Frederick with a branch aiming for his heart but the other vampire dodged it so that the piece of wood only pierced his lung. Damon made use of the fact that the older vampire was weakened for a moment and staked the other four with another branch knowing that Bonnie wouldn't be able to keep up the spell that caused them the pain any longer. He had barely finished off the last one when Frederick was already back on his feet. But Bonnie had regained some of her strength as well and now it was Frederick's turn to moan in pain. Damon grabbed his head and forced him to look at him.

"Where are you hiding and how many of you are there?" he asked.

"Spill it out already, I'm not renowned for being patient." Damon yelled and plunged another branch into his enemy when the other vampire didn't answer.

"A farmhouse north of Mystic Falls. There are ten of us." Frederick panted through gritted teeth.

"I really appreciate that you cooperated but I'm afraid I still have to kill you." Damon announced, pulled the branch out of him and used it again to pierce his heart.

"Are you okay." he asked Bonnie who was still panting.

When she nodded he walked over to his brother who was just about to wake up. Damon detected some blood stains on Stefan's shirt but the wound was already healed.

"Have you already fed?" Damon asked and helped him to sit up.

Stefan shook his head and glanced weakly at him.

"Okay, let's get back to the car, I'll drive Bonnie home and then I'll help you to get some dinner." Damon said.

He had to support Stefan on their way back to the car and immediately took him back into the woods once Bonnie had safely entered her house.

"Squirrel or rabbit?" Damon joked when he lowered Stefan on a log.

Stefan rolled with his eyes but was really grateful that Damon was doing that for him, especially since he knew how much Damon his way of living and feeding actually disdained. He watched him disappearing into the woods and for the first time in centuries he could feel a spark of the caring brotherly relationship that they had once had.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: Thanks for reading and enjoy the fifth chapter! Hope you like it!

* * *

Once he had fed Stefan recovered quickly and was already back to his old strength when they arrived the boarding house. Elena was immediately alarmed when she spotted the bloodstains on her boyfriend's shirt. After he had assured her that he was fine and she had finally calmed down the two vampire brothers told her what had happened.

"I will look for this farmhouse tomorrow. Those vampires aren't able to leave the house during the day that benefits us." Damon eventually said.

"Okay, but be careful and don't jump the gun on trying to fight them. According to Frederick there are only three vampires left, but we don't know whether he was telling us the truth or not." Stefan replied.

While Bonnie, Elena and Stefan went to school Damon was strolling through the woods looking for the farmhouse that Frederick had mentioned. It wasn't very hard to find and Damon carefully walked closer until he could hear some of them talking. After a couple of minutes he had already detected six different voices, so either Frederick had been lying to him or in the meantime the rest of the tomb vampires had found their fellows. He kept sneaking around the house and counted at least 14 vampires. Satisfied that they would be able to attack almost all of them at the same time he went back home and told the others about his little trip.

"When we go up against those vampires we should accept Mr Saltzman's offer to help us." Stefan suggested.

"And why would we do that?" Damon asked.

"Because he's more than just a history teacher. In fact he's a vampire hunter. He was the one who killed Logan and he has a lot of self-made weapons that could be very useful. Also he has a ring that protects him. I know it sounds weird but it was a gift from Isobel and when he died in a car accident three years ago it brought him back to life." the younger Salvatore explained.

Damon wasn't the least bit surprised about the story of this ring since he owned an enchanted piece of jewelery himself and eventually agreed but left it to Stefan to talk to the teacher.

By early evening Elena was nervously sitting in the Grill and sipped on her cappuccino while she was waiting for her mother Isobel. Stefan was watching her from the pool table together with Bonnie and Alaric Saltzman and Damon were standing outside in the parking lot of the restaurant. The two men had barely spoken to each other but there actually was some kind of a truce between them since they both wanted to protect the town.

"We should be in there, too." Damon muttered.

"Yeah, but she made it very clearly that she wanted to meet Elena alone. We're already taking a risk with Stefan being inside, but at least she won't recognize him." Alaric said.

Elena startled when she suddenly found herself sitting face to face with Isobel, who had used her vampire speed to come in.

"Hello Elena, it's good to finally meet you." she greeted her.

"I really wish I could say likewise but that's not what I feel." Elena answered.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not here for some sappy family reunion. Let's just say you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What do you want?"

"I need you to do something. There is this device that I want. It is an invention of Jonathan Gilbert. He gave it to one of the vampires that was locked up in the tomb, her name is Pearl. You have to get it for me."

"And how am I supposed to get it? I don't know this vampire."

"But Damon and Stefan do. I'm sure they know how to find her and they would do anything to protect you. Don't disappoint me, Elena. I will get back to you in due course."

Isobel left the Grill at a normal pace and winked at Damon and Alaric who were still waiting outside. Damon attempted to go after her but the history teacher grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Let's do inside." he said and pushed Damon slightly toward the restaurant.

The vampire obeyed although he already knew what Isobel demanded as he had overheard the entire conversation. In the restaurant the five of them gathered around a corner table where Elena repeated for Bonnie and Alaric what Isobel had said.

"Do you have any idea what kind of device that is?" Bonnie asked the two vampires.

"No. But since it was invented by Jonathan Gilbert it might be dangerous for us. We should check his diary for some information." Stefan answered.

"Oh no, I'm really tired of leafing through old books." Damon whined rolling his eyes.

"Do you have a better idea?" Elena inquired.

"Actually, I do. I'm going to trace Isobel down and ask her some questions. I'm pretty sure she's staying nearby."

"And then what? Maybe she's not working alone. It could be dangerous." Bonnie interjected.

"Well, I will politely knock on the door and if there's indeed anyone else who dares to bother our chat I will politely beat the shit out of him." Damon announced.

"And what are we going to do about that vampire Pearl? Why does Isobel assume that you can get a hold of her?" Alaric asked.

"Because we can." Damon replied.

Everybody looked inquisitively at him.

"Jeremy has Anna's cellphone number, we only have to borrow his phone and give her a call." Damon explained.

"Okay, Elena, Bonnie you should check the diary for any information about this device. Damon you go and look for Isobel and I will get Jeremy's cell phone and call Anna." Stefan said.

"Is there anything that I could do?" Alaric asked.

"Get your weapons ready, there are still some vampires around that we need to kill." Damon said.

"He's right. We should also prepare for attacking the farmhouse." Stefan agreed.

* * *

It didn't take Damon a lot of time to trace Isobel down, but when he sneaked around the expensive villa that she was currently inhabiting she wasn't there. The house was empty and it's owner dead since Damon could enter it without invitation. He inspected every single room yet he couldn't find anything interesting. Hearing the front door being opened he sped downstairs to greeted Isobel by grabbing her by her throat and pushing her against the wall.

"Let's just drop exchanging pleasantries and come straight to the point." Damon hissed.

"What do you want?" Isobel panted.

"You're stealing my lines, I was about to ask you the same."

"You already know what I want. I want the invention."

"What for?" he questioned loosening his grip on her slightly.

"Technically it's not me who needs the device. John Gilbert needs it. The other tomb vampires are going to attack the town and he needs it to kill them. He knows about you and Stefan and wants to kill you as well."

"And you are willing to give him something that could harm you, too?"

"Firstly he is going to use it during the Founder's day celebration and I won't be here anymore at that date."

"And secondly?"

"Katherine wants him to have the device."

Damon immediately let go of her. His head was spinning.

"You better leave right know. And don't you dare and threaten anyone I care about again." he spat once he had regained his poise.

* * *

Later that day Elena, Bonnie, Stefan and Damon met at the boarding house in order to tell one another what each of them had found out. It wasn't a big surprise anymore when Bonnie and Elena confirmed that the device was a weapon that could be used against vampires. And although it could be useful against the tomb vampires they couldn't let John Gilbert have the device since they had no clue how it worked. Stefan had been able to speak to Pearl in who's possession the device still was. Unfortunately she also didn't know anything about its functionality but promised to destroy it.

"I take it that Katherine won't be very happy once she finds out that the device is destroyed." Bonnie stated after Damon had told them about his chat with Isobel.

"Yes, but there's no other choice. And tomorrow we should finally kill those vampires." Damon replied.

* * *

The very next day Bonnie, Alaric, Stefan and Damon drove to the farmhouse. The trunk was filled with vervain filled darts, stakes and guns that contained wooden bullets.

"Okay, Stefan, Alaric and me are going to burst in, but you're going to stay outside of the house." Damon said looking at Bonnie.

"Damon, you've already said that five times." Bonnie replied.

She was annoyed but also touched that he cared so much about her well being.

"Okay, let's do it." Alaric said.

They approached the house and Alaric knocked on the door. As soon as the doors opened the two vampires and the vampire hunter burst in whereas Bonnie remained standing on the porch and using her magic.

"Bonnie, step aside." she heard Damon yelling, and just a moment later the first vampire flew out of the house and burst into flames when the sunlight hit him.

Inside of the house six vampires were down on the floor holding their heads and screaming in pain. The quartet had succeeded in catching the vampires off guard and had clearly the upper hand. But suddenly one of the vampires managed to escape from the commotion in the house and ran for the door where he straightly went for Bonnie's neck who was too determined to hold the other vampires down and too surprised to use her magic on him as well. She gasped and closed her eyes expecting to feel his teeth piercing her skin at any moment but it never happened. When she opened her eyes again the vampire was lying on the floor right in front of her feet. Damon had staked him from behind. He had saved her again.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Before she was able to answer she spotted another vampire behind Damon who attempted to attack him. But she couldn't warn him, the vampire was too fast and plunged one of Alaric's vervain coated stakes into his side. Damon cried out in pain and collapsed on the floor. Bonnie instantly reacted and as soon as the other vampire was down on the floor suffering from agonizing headaches she took the other stake that he had been holding and plunged it right into his heart. When she bent down to Damon Stefan and Alaric also appeared announcing that all of the vampires were dead. But their joy over the victory quickly subsided when they spotted Damon lying on the floor.

"What happened?" Stefan asked and crouched down as well.

"I case you haven't noticed that giant piece of wood that's protruding out of my body I got staked." Damon groaned.

Knowing that Stefan wouldn't be able to touch the stake without hurting himself Alaric bent down and swiftly pulled the stake out. Damon suppressed a scream and slowly sat up.

"Damn vervain." he mumbeld when his eyelids started to flutter.

"Is he going to be okay?" Bonnie asked Stefan.

"Yes, don't worry. He's just a little bit sleepy and it hurts but he's going to be fine." he answered and stood up to get the car.

While Alaric was rummaging through the house counting the bodies of the dead vampires Bonnie sat down next to Damon and took one of his hands.

"Damon?"

"Mhm?"

"Thank you for protecting me again."

"Anytime." he whispered.

When Stefan returned he helped his older brother into the backseat of the car and went back into the house to get Alaric. Bonnie also climbed into the backseat and buckled Damon's seatbelt. Slowly but surely he was regaining his strength and by the time Alaric and Stefan arrived the car he was already fully awake and his wound almost healed up. Bonnie and Damon were relieved to hear that the vampire hunter had counted seventeen dead vampires what meant that they had gotten rid of all the tomb vampires.

"What's next on our list?" Damon asked highly motivated.

"Getting you home so that you can get some rest. And after driving Bonnie and Alaric home I'll stop by Elena." Stefan replied.

"That's it?"

The others had to smile at his enthusiasm and the fact that he was in such a good temper.

* * *

When Damon entered the boarding house he instantly felt the presence of another vampire. And it wasn't Stefan.

"Hello Damon." he heard a female voice.

"Katherine." he replied and turned around to face her.

"Are you going to tell me what you want or do we keep staring at each other?" he asked annoyed.

"Why are you so hostile? Aren't you happy to see me after all those years?"

"Let's see, you were lying to me for 145 years and let me think that you were dead, although you knew that I died trying to save you. No, I'm not happy to see you. And I'm ready to kill you, but I will give you the opportunity to tell the me the truth for once. What have you done during the past 145 years and why did you lie to me?"

"Fine, I will tell you the truth. Let's face it Damon, the sex with you was great, but I've never loved you. It was always Stefan."

With that said she turned on her heels and left. Damon was crushed. Surely the fact that she hadn't been in the tomb had been a first hint that she didn't care but hearing that she had never loved him at all felt worse than being staked with a vervain coated piece of wood.

* * *

Since every attempt of getting a hold of Damon over the phone had ended in only hearing the message of his voice mail Bonnie decided to go over to the Salvatore mansion. She was still a little bit worried and wanted to check on him. Arriving there she went instantly into the living room where she found Damon sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and staring into space. Broken glasses were lying on the floor and the room smelled of alcohol.

"Damon?" she addressed him tentatively.

When he didn't show any kind of reaction she went over to him and crouched next to him.

"Damon, what happened? Are you okay?"

"You should better go. I'm in a bad mood and I might hurt you unintentionally." he said without looking at her.

"No, you won't. Tell me what happened."

"Katherine showed up." Damon answered after a moment of silence.

"Did she hurt you?" Bonnie asked worried.

"She was telling me the truth for once. She said that she had never loved me."

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"It's okay, we want to kill her anyway, right?" Damon answered trying to cover how shattered he actually was.

But it was Bonnie he was talking to and he couldn't fool her.

"Don't pretend that you're taking it lightly. I know that you're not and it's okay."

Damon wasn't used to bare his feelings to anyone and this whole situation was overwhelming him.

"I would like to be alone now." he pleaded hoarsely.

"No, I won't leave you like this." Bonnie objected.

"Why not?"

Bonnie gently cupped his face with her hands and turned his face so that she could look into his eyes.

"Because I care about you." she replied and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Damon closed his eyes and buried his face in the crook of her neck. The last time that someone had held and comforted him in this way was almost 150 years ago and he had forgotten how good it felt. Bonnie noticed relieved that the vampire in her arms finally relaxed and tenderly caressed the nape of his neck. But she also realized the she wasn't only caring about him. Her feelings towards him were a lot more intensive. At first she was unsure whether she should confess her feelings to him or not, but then she figured that he needed to know that he was loved.

"Damon, I do not only care about you. I love you." she whispered into his ear.

Damon slightly pulled back and looked into her green eyes. He hadn't realized how much he had wished to hear someone saying those three words to him and actually meaning it. And he had never thought that it would be Bonnie out of all people. The witch that had been hating him not so long ago. Bonnie smiled slightly and reached out to caress his cheek. Knowing that she had probably taken him by surprise with her words she didn't expect Damon to reply anything and she certainly wasn't expecting what happened next. The vampire looked at her almost shyly and then slowly leaned over and captured her lips with his. The loving way he kissed her rendered any declaration of love unnecessary. He put all his feelings into that one kiss causing Bonnie to feel butterflies in her stomach. It was Damon who eventually broke the kiss but he still wasn't able to let go of her. His forehead was touching hers and he wished that they could just stay like this for a while. He relished the feeling of being in her arms and closed his eyes again.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's notes: Sorry about the late update, but there are these annoying things called real life and work that kept me from writing lately. Anyway here is the new chapter, hope you like it. And thank you for your great reviews, keep them coming ;-)

* * *

Stefan was surprised to find Bonnie's car in the driveway when he returned home from visiting Elena and figured that something must have happened. Entering the house his heightened senses detected the smell of the alcohol that was still lingering in the air due to the bottles and glasses that Damon had thrown against the wall. His worry slightly subsided and turned into a feeling of surprise when he stepped into the living room and spotted Bonnie and Damon. His brother was laying fast asleep on the couch and his head was resting in Bonnie's lap who was still awake and gently stroking his hair. But he had also detected the broken glasses and eventually cleared his throat to gain Bonnie's attention. The young witch startled slightly and carefully lifted Damon's head in order to stand up. Damon was so exhausted that he didn't even wake up. Bonnie covered him with a blanket that was laying on the armrest and motioned to Stefan to go into the kitchen. The younger vampire nodded and cast a last glance at his brother before leaving the living room.

"What happened, was his injury worse than we thought?" Stefan asked.

"No. Katherine is back in Mystic Falls and paid him a visit."

"Did she hurt him?"

"Not physically. But she told him that she has never loved him. That is has always been you."

"Oh God. As if it weren't bad enough that Katherine has actually returned. He must be really messed-up now." Stefan sighed.

"He's getting better, but he hasn't drunk any blood since he had been injured earlier. I guess that's why he's so worn out and didn't wake up."

"Okay, thanks for coming and caring for him. But I can take it from here in case you want to go home."

"I would like to stay here with him if you don't mind." Bonnie replied.

Stefan nodded but gave her a questioning look.

"You really care about him, don't you?" he asked her bluntly.

"Yes, I do." Bonnie admitted.

"I'm really happy to hear that. Damon has changed and it's good to know that he has a friend like you. He needs it." Stefan smiled.

Bonnie also smiled and walked back into the living room after Stefan had shown her where the bloodbags were stored in case Damon woke up and was too tired and weak to get them himself. Damon was still sleeping soundly when she pulled up a chair and sat next to him. She realized that she would never get tired of watching him and went back to stroking his hair and caressing his cheek. It took almost two hours until the vampire woke up and he was glad that the first thing he saw was Bonnie.

"Thanks for staying." he whispered.

"You're welcome."

"Was it just a dream?"

"Katherine's return? I'm afraid it wasn't."

"No, I mean the part where you told me that you love me." Damon said and sat up.

"That wasn't a dream either. And I meant it."

"I'm just afraid that this is only a side-effect of Emily's spell and our bond. And when everything is over and the final battle was fought you will hate me again." Damon told her.

"That won't happen. My feelings are real and are not magically created or something. I know it." Bonnie assured him and reached out to squeeze his hand.

For a moment they looked into each others eyes and Bonnie could tell that Damon was struggling to find a suitable reply.

"Over the last 145 years I blanked out any emotions, everything that I had was my obsession with Katherine and making Stefan's life miserable. At some point I wasn't even able to feel anything at all. And suddenly I find myself being worried about someone else's well-being and all that matters to me right now is that you are fine. I think I love you, too, Bonnie."

Bonnie was completely taken aback to hear him saying that. Surely she knew that he had feelings for her but she had never expected that he was already ready to admit that and say it out loud. Smiling she leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Do you remember the night when I bit you after you had destroyed the crystal? Would you have ever thought that we would end up like this?" Damon smirked.

"God, no. Back then I hated you so much. After that I was only waiting for you to give me a reason to set you on fire." Bonnie answered.

"Good thing that you're mentioning that. Reminds me of always being at my best behavior."

"I see you got my point. But now you should finally eat something." Bonnie replied, stood up and held out her hands.

Damon let her pull him up and followed her into the kitchen where she opened the fridge and hesitantly retrieved one of the bloodbags.

"It's okay Bonnie, I can do that myself." Damon said and took the plastic bag out of her hands.

He could sense that Bonnie still felt a little bit uncomfortable about the whole blood drinking and didn't want to force her to do something she wasn't ready for.

"You don't have to keep me company while I'm feeding." he told her.

"I'm okay with it as long as you feed from those bloodbags." Bonnie replied.

Damon quickly emptied two bags of blood and caught Bonnie at stifling a yawn.

"I could take you home." he offered noticing how tired she looked.

"Do you already want to get rid of me?" she joked.

"No, I just thought that you might want to sleep in your own house and bed now that Katherine is back. It's not safe here."

"I feel safe enough as long as I'm with you."

Damon nodded, took her by her hand and led her upstairs to his bedroom. They only took off their shoes and laid down on top of the cozy comforter on Damon's bed. Damon pulled Bonnie into a tight embrace and the young witch snuggled up against him and sighed contently. She was already fast asleep when Damon kissed her forehead and let himself being lulled to sleep by her steady heartbeat.

When Bonnie woke up she was still laying in Damon's arms.

"Good morning." he murmured with his eyes still closed.

"Hey." Bonnie replied and yawned.

"I really need some coffee." she added when she realized that she had barely slept three hours.

"It's downstairs in the kitchen. The cups are in the cupboard above the coffee maker." Damon replied without moving.

"Aren't you supposed to make the coffee and bring it to me? Like breakfast in bed?" Bonnie said.

"You are a witch, aren't you supposed to be able to cast a spell that lets appear a cup of coffee right in front of you?" Damon asked sarcastically.

Bonnie grabbed one of the pillows and hit him playfully.

"Lucky me, that my breakfast is already right next to me." the vampire smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

"What, you are storing the bloodbags in your bed, too?" Bonnie retorted and smirked back at him.

"Okay, you won, let's get up and make some coffee." Damon said and laughed.

"I think I will spike mine with whiskey." he added.

"Really? It's not even seven in the morning."

"What? Why do we have to get up then?"

"Because one of us has to go to school. And we also have to talk to Stefan and Elena about a certain vampire." Bonnie replied and eventually stood up whereas Damon groaned and turned around.

Downstairs in the kitchen Bonnie met Stefan. The younger Salvatore had been surprised to hear Bonnie's heartbeat in Damon's room when had woken up in the morning and noticed somewhat relieved Bonnie's wrinkled clothes realizing that she had slept wearing them. But nevertheless he wondered how much the young witch really cared about his brother. Bonnie, who had noticed his glances, smiled awkwardly at him.

"How is Damon?" he asked.

"I think he's fine. At least he is back at being cocky." she answered.

"I never thought that I would say that, but I'm happy to hear that." Stefan said while he was starting the coffee maker.

"I always knew that you appreciate my witty comments." Damon stated and also entered the kitchen.

Stefan rolled his eyes but smiled.

A couple of minutes later Elena arrived at the boarding house as Stefan had texted her to come over. She was surprised that Bonnie was already there and eyed her best friend suspiciously when she noticed that she was wearing the same clothes as the day before. She made a mental note to ask her some questions later and focused back on their problems.

"We don't know why Katherine came back and where she's currently hiding so we have to be alert. I'm afraid all we can do for now is waiting for her next move." Stefan said.

"She wanted John Gilbert to use the device on the tomb vampires. She probably knows that we have already killed them and that the device is destroyed." Bonnie supposed.

"There is something else. I overheard my uncle yesterday. He tried to get a hold of Isobel and left a message on her voice mail. He still thinks that the tomb vampires are going to attack during the Founder's day celebration and wants to have the device." Elena told them.

"I think it's time to have a little chat with him." Damon announced.

"I'll go with you." Stefan said.

"You want to ditch school? But don't expect me to write an excuse note for your teachers." Damon grinned.

"Are you two going to be okay?" Stefan asked the girls ignoring Damon's comment.

They nodded and went for the door although they didn't really feel like going to school. Standing in the entrance area of the mansion Elena hugged and kissed her boyfriend in order to say goodbye. As Bonnie was unsure about what Damon was thinking about their relationship and whether he was ready to commit himself or not she simply turned around and reached for the door handle. But suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and paused.

"You honestly want to leave without a goodbye-kiss?" Damon whispered.

Bonnie smiled at him when he leaned forward and closed her eyes when their lips touched. Elena and Stefan broke their own kiss and watched dumbfounded the other kissing couple.

"What exactly happened last night?" Elena asked.

The question was directed at Bonnie however the young witch was completely lost in the kiss and didn't answer. Stefan cleared his throat rather loudly and eventually the two stopped kissing but kept looking into each others eyes and still seemed to be oblivious to anything else.

"We can go to school now." Bonnie said still smiling at Damon.

"We take my car and on the way you have to explain yourself, Bonnie Bennett." Elena said and shoved Bonnie out of the house.

After the girls had left Stefan looked at his brother and shook his head smiling disbelievingly.

"What? Have you never seen some guy kissing a girl? Let's go, there are important things we have to take care of." Damon said and gave him a quick pat on the back when he brushed past him.

When the two brothers arrived at the Gilbert house Damon wasted no time and headed for the door. Stefan caught up with him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Let us at least knock on the door and be polite. I think the chances that he's going to talk might be better then." he said.

"Let's play good cop, bad cop. Guess who's going to be the bad one." Damon suggested while he was knocking on the door.

"Damon." Stefan replied with a warning undertone in his voice.

"Relax. I promise you that I won't kill him, okay?"

He had barely finished the sentence as the door was opened by John Gilbert.

"What do you want?" he asked disdainfully.

"What a nice way to welcome us." Damon replied and pushed him away to enter the house.

Stefan followed him and dragged Elena's uncle with him.

"I know what you are. And I've been ingesting vervain for years, you won't get any answers that I'm not willing to give you." John said.

"There are so many other ways than just compelling you to get some answers." Damon replied and grinned evilly.

"It might not be so easy to kill me as you think."

"We're not going to kill you. At least not right now. But in order to get some answers we might torture you. It's a lot more effective." Damon threatened.

John swallowed nervously.

"If you really care about Elena you have to give me the device. It's the only way to keep her safe." he said to Stefan.

"You don't need the device anymore. We already took care of the tomb vampires. I suggest you tell us what you know about Katherine's plans and then you leave town." Stefan replied.

"Do you honestly believe that Katherine told me about her actual motives?" John snorted.

"I get it. So you're just her puppet and you do everything that she wants without asking any questions. Great job." Damon said sarcastically.

"I think we're wasting our time here." Stefan stated.

"Yeah, and since you don't have to tell us anything we skip that part and jump to the next one where you are going to leave town." Damon added.

"Do you really think you are in the position to threaten me? I'm part of the council, I could easily expose you."

"If I would kill him now, it would just be an act of self-defense, right?" Damon said and looked at his brother.

"He's Elena's uncle, you shouldn't do that."

"Come on, just a little bit." Damon whined.

"Listen, we have one thing in common. We want to protect Elena. Katherine won't be very amused when she learns that you failed. The vampires are dead, but it didn't happen the way she planned it. Trust me, it would be a lot safer for you to leave and to run." Stefan said to John.

He didn't wait for a reply but motioned to Damon to go. The two vampires left the house and walked back to Damon's car.

"I feel really sorry for Elena that she is related to that guy. Too bad that you're not able to choose your relatives, right?" Damon smirked.

"I don't like him either. Let's just hope that he's smart enough to know how dangerous Katherine is and that he is actually going to leave." Stefan replied.

"Go and tell Elena and Bonnie what happened. I'm going to keep an eye on him. We have to make sure that he won't expose us." Damon said.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's notes: Finally a new chapter! Happy reading!

* * *

When the school bell finally signalized the end of the Spanish lesson Bonnie left the classroom along with Elena, Stefan and Caroline. They were all glad that school was over and stepped out of the building. Looking around Bonnie's face immediately lit up when she spotted Damon in the parking lot. He was casually leaning against his car and waiting for her. Bonnie couldn't wait to be close to him again and hurried over to the vampire.

"Hey, I didn't know that you would come." she greeted him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be, if I wouldn't pick up my little witch from school." Damon smirked and kissed her in return. His innocent peck on her lips lead into a more passionate kiss that Bonnie eventually broke.

"We're still standing right in front of the school." she reminded him.

"So? We could teach them how to do this right." Damon replied and bent down for another kiss.

Bonnie giggled but kissed him back.

"Okay guys, what is going on here?" Caroline gasped.

"Bonnie just did, what you insisted. She found herself a new boyfriend and fell in love." Elena explained.

"But why does it have to be Damon of all people? You all know what he did to me, he's going to hurt her."

"He has changed, Caroline. And we're going to make sure that he won't hurt her. Bonnie really trusts him and that means a lot." Stefan replied.

"Yeah, and look at them. Aren't they cute?" Elena gushed.

"You know, the most disturbing thing about this is the fact that they actually do look cute together. And they seem to be very happy. " Caroline admitted still watching them.

And she was right. The witch and the vampire were both smiling and cast loving glances at each other while they were talking. Damon was holding her hand and with his other hand he was playing with a strand of Bonnie's black hair that kept falling into her face.

"Okay, I'm out of here, I have a date with Matt anyway." Caroline announced and left.

Whereas the blonde headed for her own car, Elena and Stefan approached Damon's.

"Any news about John?" Stefan asked.

"He met Sheriff Forbes and told her that he had taken care of the tomb vampires and that the celebration for the Founder's day would be safe. He's actually priding himself with our doings." Damon replied.

"But at least he didn't cause any trouble. Anyhow we need to keep an eye on him." Stefan said.

"And what else are we going to do?" Bonnie inquired.

"I don't think that we have to do anything else. Sooner or later Katherine will come after John, and as long as we keep an eye on him we might be able to face her." Damon said.

"And I have many ideas what we could do in the meantime." the vampire added and cast a seductive glance at Bonnie.

Bonnie blushed but smiled at him.

"Seriously, you two are worse than Stefan and me." Elena joked.

Damon just shrugged and opened the passenger's door of his car for Bonnie and Elena and Stefan watched them driving away.

"Do you like to come home with me?" Elena asked.

"I need to go hunting but I will stop by later, if that's okay with you."

Elena nodded and kissed him.

Stefan was running through the woods but instantly froze when a young woman appeared right in front of him. For a fraction of a second he thought that it was Elena but soon it dawned on him.

"Katherine."

"Hello Stefan."

"What do you want? Why are you back?"

"I'm here for you. Your relationship with Elena is only temporary, we are meant to be together. I want you, and I always get what I want."

Katherine approached him and ran a finger down his chest.

"Stop, don't do that." Stefan hissed and slapped her hand away.

"Oh Stefan, I didn't even started this game. See you later." Katherine said.

She waved him goodbye and the next second she had disappeared. Stefan took off too and ran straight to Elena's house.

"Stefan, you're early." she greeted him.

* * *

Damon had taken Bonnie to the Grill where they had dinner.

"Why do you even eat human food?" Bonnie asked him curiously as she watched him eating his french fries.

"I like it, it's a nice variety to the whole blood drinking. And sooner or later you will attract attention if you never eat. Especially in a town like Mystic Falls."

Bonnie watched still fascinated when he bit into another one of his french fries.

"I know about my good looking and my gorgeous appearance, but your food is going to get cold if you keep staring at me." Damon grinned.

"God, sometimes you're really cocky, but the worst thing is that I'm not even annoyed anymore."

"You know, you don't have to call me God, Damon is really sufficient."

"You're impossible." Bonnie sighed and shook her head.

When the couple eventually left the Grill Damon automatically reached out and took her hand in his. They entwined their fingers and strolled down the street to the parking lot where Damon had parked his car. Again he opened the door for her and placed a kiss on the back of her hand when Bonnie climbed into the car.

Entering the boarding house Damon stiffened and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Is something wrong?" Bonnie asked

"I can hear someone moving around in the living room. There is no heartbeat but it isn't Stefan."

"You're right, it's me." sounded a female voice.

And the very next moment Katherine stood there.

"This is getting really lame, you should come up with something else than your surprise visits." Damon retorted.

"You're lucky, I've already thought of a new game."

Bonnie watched the female vampire anxiously and bit her lower lip. She briefly closed her eyes and then focused on Katherine. Katherine looked disgustedly at the witch and sneered.

"Do you honestly think that your stupid magic would work on me? You guys have no idea how much fun I have with just messing around with you."

"You should leave now." Damon simply said and stepped protectively in front of Bonnie. He knew that they wouldn't be able to harm her or catch her off guard. She was too alert right now.

"I see you took comfort in the Bennett witch. Maybe I should teach you a lesson what she's able to do."

Katherine acted swiftly, she pushed Damon away, whispered some words into Bonnie's ear and left.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" Damon asked.

Bonnie slowly turned around gazing mesmerized at him.

"Bonnie?"

Damon attempted to approach her when a familiar pain shot through his head.

"Bonnie, please." he said through gritted teeth.

But the pain steadily increased and soon he collapsed on the floor groaning with pain.

While Damon and Bonnie were forced to play Katherine's sick game, Stefan and Elena were sitting on her front porch discussing the female vampire.

"We should meet with Bonnie and Damon. They need to know that she showed up again and what she told you." Elena said.

"Don't worry they already know that I'm here."

Elena gasped and felt like looking into a mirror. Stefan pushed her into the house and followed suit.

"Stop fooling around, Katherine." Stefan said angrily.

"I'm just killing time until you make up your mind. You should actually be glad, that it's only the time that I'm killing."

"Leave us alone." Elena spat.

"Don't worry, little girl. Right now you're not the one I'm playing with. But the two of you might want to go to the boarding house and look after Damon and the witch. I don't know for how long they will be able to take it."

Having said that Katherine left using her vampire speed again.

"Do you think this is a trap?" Elena asked.

""I don't know." Stefan replied and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. At first he dialed Damon's number and then Bonnie's.

"I can't get a hold of them." Stefan announced.

"Then let's go." Elena said.

"You should stay here."

"Stefan, you can't shut me out. This concerns me as well."

Stefan eventually agreed and walked over to her car.

When Elena and Stefan finally arrived at the boarding house they stormed in and frantically looked around.

"The living room." Stefan said curtly.

At first it was only Bonnie who they spotted. The young witch looked strained and seemed to be completely oblivious of her environment.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" Elena asked carefully.

She and Stefan slowly stepped forward and suddenly saw Damon lying on the floor. He was holding his head and his face was a grimace of pain. Realizing what was happening Stefan hurried over to his brother whereas Elena was approaching Bonnie.

"Bonnie, look at me, you need to stop this." Elena said calmly trying to get her friends attention.

However Bonnie remained unresponsive and her focus was still on Damon who was writhing and moaning in pain. Stefan tentatively pulled his brothers upper half into his lap and tried to calm him down. His worry about him increased rapidly when he detected the blood that was trickling out of his ears and nose.

"Katherine must have compelled Bonnie. We need to stop this or she's going to kill him." Stefan stated.

He slowly lowered Damon back on the floor and also approached Bonnie. Stepping right in front of her so that Damon disappeared from her sight, he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Bonnie, you need to stop this, you're hurting Damon. You love him and you don't want to hurt him, right?" he conjured her.

While her boyfriend was trying to get through to Bonnie, Elena sat down next to Damon. By now his body had gone limp and the blood was flowing freely. Stefan knew that Katherine's compulsion was strong and that he wouldn't be able to come up against it. He only hoped that mentioning Damon's name and the fact that she loved him and that she was hurting him right now would help to get her out of this state of trance that she was currently in. He continued to repeat those words over and over again and finally it worked. Bonnie blinked a couple of times and then looked confused at her friend.

"What happened?" she asked.

Before Elena or Stefan could answer she saw Damon lying on the floor and the memories of Katherine's little visit and the awareness of having been compelled by her crashed down on her.

"Oh God, what did I do?" she said horrified.

"It's okay, he's going to be fine." Stefan assured her.

"No, it's not okay. Compulsion or not, it's my fault that he is in this condition. I did this to him. What happened to this stupid bond that Emily created? It should have prevented me from doing this." Bonnie sobbed.

Stefan picked Damon up and carried him to the couch where he gently laid him down and covered him with a blanket. He left the living room but returned shortly afterward with a wet cloth in his hands. Bonnie was calmer now and when Stefan held out the cloth to her she gratefully took it and sat down on the edge of the couch where Damon was lying. The bleeding had stopped and she gently wiped the the dried blood from his face, ears and neck.

"I'm so sorry, Damon." she whispered and started to cry again.

"Come on Bonnie, let's go into the kitchen and drink some tea." Elena suggested.

"But he shouldn't be alone now." Bonnie objected.

"Go and drink some tea, it will do you good. And don't worry, I will sit with him." Stefan said.

Bonnie eventually agreed and stood up. But before she left she placed a soft kiss on Damon's forehead and tentatively brushed his dark locks out of his face.

Only a couple of minutes later Damon began to stir. His movement caught Stefan's attention who was sitting in an armchair watching him.

"Damon, are you awake?" Stefan accosted him.

Damon slowly opened his eyes and looked tiredly at Stefan.

"Where is Bonnie, is she okay?" he asked hoarsely.

"She's pretty shaken, but other than that she's fine. Elena persuaded her to have some tea in the kitchen." Stefan explained.

He noticed the relieved expression on his brother's face and was still amazed at how much Damon cared about Bonnie.

"Do you want me to get her?"

Damon simply nodded and closed his eyes again.

"Are you okay? Did Katherine hurt you?" Damon asked when he heard Bonnie entering the living room.

"No, I'm fine." Bonnie replied sadly and sat down next to him not being able to look into his eyes.

"What is wrong?" he wanted to know.

He reached out and gently traced a finger down her cheekbone. Bonnie leaned into his touch and swallowed hard.

"I hurt you."

"Don't blame yourself. That wasn't you, that was Katherine's doing." Damon objected.

"I'm so sorry. Are you really going to be okay? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, you could lay down with me."

Bonnie smiled and crawled under the blanket. Damon sighed contently and pulled his little witch into a tight embrace.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing and adding this story to your favorites/ alerts! Since there won't be another update before Christmas I wish you all happy holidays!

* * *

"I can't believe that they are sleeping right now while Katherine is still on the loose." Stefan said to Elena while he was standing in the doorway to the living room and watching Damon and Bonnie sleeping on the couch.

"Cut them some slack, they are probably exhausted." Elena replied and smiled.

"You're right, but after what just happened we really need to come up with a plan to get rid of Katherine once and for all."

He took Elena's hand in his and lead her upstairs to his room to give his brother and Bonnie some privacy but also to have some on his own with his girlfriend as well.

When Bonnie woke up she found Damon staring at her. She simply loved the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled at her.

"I need to get up and get some blood." Damon said loosening his hold on his girlfriend.

Bonnie looked at him frowning.

"What is wrong?" Damon asked.

"Do you sometimes get the urge to drink my blood?" she inquired hesitantly.

Damon reflected on her question for a moment before answering it.

"As a vampire you always want to drink human blood. And especially when your attracted to someone it can lead into cravings that you have to learn to control. So yes, I would love to drink your blood, but I would never do anything that you're afraid of or that you don't want."

"I remember when you bit me after I've destroyed the crystal. Does it always hurt like this?"

Damon cringed thinking back of that day.

"Not if both of them really want it. And I hope you know that I'm really sorry now for what I've done during that night."

"It's okay, Damon. I guess Emily wasn't that nice either."

* * *

The very next day Damon appeared on Bonnie's front porch to pick her up. They wanted to have some coffee together and spend some time alone before meeting with Elena, Stefan and Alaric Saltzman to discuss their proceeding according disposing Katherine. When Bonnie stepped out of the house and was about to walk to the car Damon hold her back.

"I realized something after what happened yesterday." Damon announced and looked seriously at her.

"Damon, I'm really sorry about that. I would never hurt you on purpose." Bonnie replied afraid that he might have reconsidered the whole ordeal and changed his mind.

"I know that and I love you and I'm not angry. It wasn't your fault. But we have to make sure that you won't be compelled again."

Having said that Damon pulled a box out of the inside pocket of his leather jacket and handed it to Bonnie.

"Open it, it's for you." he said when Bonnie just kept looking at him.

She did as told and found a simple but beautiful silver bracelet with a small pendant in the box.

"The pendant is filled with vervain." Damon explained.

"I would love it even without the vervain, it's beautiful." Bonnie exclaimed in awe.

"Where did you get it in that short amount of time? Do you always store some gifts for potential girlfriends in your drawer?" Bonnie teased.

Damon smiled at her joke.

"No, it was my mother's." he eventually replied.

"Oh my God. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say and I'm not sure if I can really accept it." Bonnie said embarrassed.

"Please, keep it. I really want you to have it and I can't imagine a more suitable person to wear it than you."

Bonnie threw her arms around the vampire and embraced him tightly.

"Thank you so much." she whispered into his chest.

"You're welcome." Damon answered and placed a kiss on the top of her head before resting his chin on it.

"We could drink our coffee here at my house." Bonnie eventually suggested and looked up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I want you to come in."

The small smile that was always present on Damon's face whenever Bonnie was around became much wider when he followed Bonnie into the house. The young witch got the coffeemaker ready and prepared two mugs. When she poured some milk into her cup Damon approached her from behind, wrapped his arms around her and started to nibble on her earlobe. Bonnie giggled and turned around.

"The coffee is ready." she announced.

"Who cares." Damon mumbled and captured her lips with his.

Bonnie closed her eyes and let him deepen the kiss. She found herself getting lost but eventually braced herself knowing that it wasn't the right time and broke the kiss. Damon pouted in a playful manner and looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"You're truly impossible, Damon Salvatore." Bonnie laughed.

"Tell me something that I don't know."

The coffee was cold when they finally sat down to drink it but neither of them cared. The distraction that had been responsible for the cooling down of the once hot beverage had simply been too enjoyable to regret it.

* * *

As Jenna and Jeremy were both out and Katherine wouldn't be able to come in they had decided to meet at Elena's house, and when Damon and Bonnie finally arrived the others were already gathered in the living room.

"Okay, let me recap the whole situation. For all we know Katherine returned because of Stefan. We have no idea where she's staying, she's older and therefore stronger than you and she's causing trouble until Stefan decides to break up with Elena and runs back into her loving arms." Alaric said sarcastically.

"You got it." Damon replied dryly, went over to the stereo and turned the radio on.

"We're not here to party." Elena said slightly annoyed and attempted to turn it off again.

"I know, I just want to make sure that Katherine won't be able to eavesdrop in case she followed us." Damon explained.

"We have to find a way to lock her up. Damon and me could confront her then. And therefore we will need your weapons." Stefan said looking at the history teacher.

"I could do the spell that locked the vampires up in the tomb." Bonnie offered.

"No offense, but do you think you're strong enough?" Stefan inquired.

"I've practiced a lot, so yes, I think that I'm strong enough now. But nevertheless we should give it a try with you or Damon first."

"I'll do it. I trust you, but in case you won't be able to lift the spell again you should lock me up in my bedroom." Damon smirked.

"And where do you intend to lock her up?" Alaric inquired.

"At the boarding house." Stefan answered.

"But how are we going to lure her?" Elena asked.

"She's playing games the whole time, I would say it's about time that we start to play, too. But this time we make the rules." Damon stated.

"Care to share your ideas with us?" Stefan asked.

"Katherine is watching and following us. And I bet if you and Elena would perform a little breakup-scene at the Grill or elsewhere in public it won't take long until she shows up. "

"Do you think she's going to believe it?" Elena asked.

"That's not the important thing, she will definitely get curious and it won't take long until she's going to visit Stefan."

Eventually they all agreed to the plan and while Stefan and Elena were discussing their upcoming performance, Bonnie practiced the spell with Damon and Alaric went home to get his weapons and bring them to the boarding house. Since they didn't want to waste anymore time Elena and Stefan drove to the Grill where Stefan broke up with Elena telling her that he didn't want anything happen to her or her family. Elena was so stressed that the tears came easily and she was convinced that their act had been believable. Still crying she headed home where she wanted to meet with Bonnie. The young witch hadn't been idle. In the meantime she had cast her spell and when Stefan returned he went straight into the living room knowing that he wouldn't be able to leave it for the time being. Though he didn't plan on either. He would wait there until Katherine would come. And just as Damon had predicted it, it didn't take long. In the dead of the same night the front door of the boarding house was being opened by the female vampire. She went straight into the living room where Stefan was sitting in front of the fireplace.

"Hello Stefan. How are you doing, love?" she asked in a seductive way.

"Stop playing games and tell me what you want."

"I want to be with you, Stefan."

"But why now? After almost 150 years."

"Why? Because of that little bitch called Elena. I was always watching you over the years. And there's never been a girl you were interested in. But then I noticed that you are actually in love with the Gilbert girl and I knew I had to interfere, because I realized that we belong together. I love you, Stefan."

"You're not capable to love anybody else than yourself." Stefan spat out.

"Are you seriously rejecting me?"

"I know that you're used to always getting what you want. But not this time."

"Don't be so sure about this. I know that you like living in Mystic Falls again and that you have a couple of friends here. From now on they should keep looking over their shoulders. And you won't be able to protect all of them at the same time."

"Save those threats, it won't be necessary to protect them." Stefan told her.

"What did you do?" Katherine asked sensing that something was wrong.

"The more important question is what else we are going to do." Damon stated and also entered the living room.

Katherine was alarmed and attempted to leave but jumped back when she made contact with the invisible barrier. The female vampire hissed angrily and bared her teeth. Stefan took advantage of the fact that Katherine was currently focused on Damon and pulled out one of the vervain filled darts. He hurled the sharp and dangerous object towards Katherine and managed to hit her in the back. Katherine immediately pulled it out and turned around.

"Nice try, but I'm a lot stronger than you think. This amount of vervain doesn't affect me at all." she taunted.

"We've already assumed that. It was merely a distraction anyway." Stefan said calmly.

Katherine gave him a questioning look though when it finally dawned on her it was already too late. As soon as she had turned her back towards Damon, the older Salvatore had pulled out a stake that he pushed into her back right into her heart. The only noise that could be heard was a gasp from her and then everything went quiet. The moment Katherine's withered body fell to the floor Stefan and Damon looked at each other both of them swallowing hard. She was really dead. They were both relieved that it was finally over but it was still hard for Damon to realize that his reason to live for for the past 150 years was gone.

"We did it." Stefan eventually said.

"I need a drink." Damon simply announced and went over to the bar.

He didn't waste his time with filling a glass but lead the bottle to his mouth and took a large sip.

"She and her manipulating doings were the reason that we hated each other, Stefan." he eventually said looking at his younger brother.

"You used past tense." Stefan noticed.

"Observant as always. I don't know when it happened and of course I can only speak for myself, but I've realized that I don't hate you anymore."

"Neither do I."

"I drink to that." Damon grinned and raised the bottle before taking another sip.

"And let's never get a girl between us again." he added.

"It's a great feeling knowing that I have my big brother back. I guess even vampires need their brothers sometimes." Stefan said and approached Damon.

"God, this is getting way too gooey for my liking." Damon sighed but nevertheless pulled Stefan into a brotherly hug.

After having recovered from his surprise Stefan smiled and happily hugged him back.


End file.
